Stakeholders urge Ogun government to stop paying candidates’ WAEC fees

Participants at the Ogun State Education Summit yesterday urged government to stop paying candidates’ fees in the West African Examinations Council (WAEC).

In a communiqué at the end of the two-day summit in Abeokuta, they said the funds saved from the discontinued payment should be channeled to other development projects.

They urged parents to pay for their children’s examination to enhance the performance and level of responsibility over them.
[ad]
According to them, Ogun State government paid N489, 792,695 in 2016 as WAEC fees for its 41,421 candidates.

They also urged government to increase the 20 per cent budgetary allocation for education to meet the 26 percent United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)’s benchmark.

The participants enjoined the government to raise its own Education Trust Fund (ETF) that would assist in the delivery of qualitative and affordable education with an unbridled access by indigent students.

“The State government should establish a Tertiary Admission Monitoring Committee to monitor the application and admission of the state indigenes to tertiary institutions.

“This would take full advantage of the admission opportunities available to the state and her qualified candidates across board,” the communiqué stated.

The participants further recommended that TETFUND’s allocation in the state should be directed at projects that would add value to education at the tertiary level.

They appealed to the state government to establish an examination ethics group to monitor Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres and other venues to eliminate all forms of sharp practices, irregularities and examination malpractice.”

The participants stressed the need for government to re-position the provisions for education, using critical Information Communication and Technology (ICT) skills for teaching, learning, examination, reviews and other deliverables.

On security, they canvassed the employment of guidance counselors to mentor students and provide perimeter fence around schools.

They also called for a survey of schools land, issuance of certificate of occupancy (C of O) and establishing Education Security Trust Fund.